By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
and James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)
Just what can fans expect from a sequel to Big Hero 6? The standard response is only if a great story exists to warrant a continuation. That was what co-director Chris Williams told CinemaBlend a week or so ago. But with an Academy Award under their belts, rumblings from voice actor Genesis Rodriguez and very good sales since this title’s release, to not continue in this cash cow can be considered remiss.
With news that a Frozen 2 sequel is indeed in the works, to not continue forth with another animated superhero action-adventure film will have some folks petitioning for a continuation somehow. A comic book follow-up is easier to create and a television series will not necessarily be as exciting as the movie. Sometimes the seeds of how a new franchise can grow are nestled into the first film and they may get explored when expanding a world is required.
From Big Hero 6, what we do know is that:
- Alistair Krei, an industrialist, can become a potential future rival or ally of Hiro’s. The latter makes more sense because he saved him from Callaghan.
- Baymax is up to 3.0 now. I just wonder how much of his original programming and AI was stored in the card that Hiro found in the jet propulsion hand that saved him. Just where this robot can travel to includes space, the final frontier if the sequel decides to go there. Because of his versatility, backup armour is going to be needed.
- If Hiro has not patented his designs, perhaps an Armour War might happen much like in the Iron Man comics.
- Hiro Hamada is the Tony Stark of this universe. Just what kind of new creations he can make will no doubt be of a robotic variety. That might lead to him perhaps making Super Deformed Gundam-like bots that’s seen during the credits.
- The end sequences show that time will pass for the group. They continue in embarking on heroic endeavours. Plus, there’s the grand opening of the Tadashi Hamada Building, where Hiro will no doubt set up a base of operations.
- Fred’s father is a superhero. Perhaps serving a New York crew than San Fransokyo. His costume suggests the potential to have a crossover with The Incredibles, a property created by PIXAR that’s now owned by Disney. To see that happening sounds like an idea better served in the Disney Infinity game than in the film, but with this company owning many properties, anything can happen.
Ed’s Final Thoughts:
I can understand the length of time it takes before a deciding upon a sequel, but hopefully the wait will not be too long. When comparing this movie to how fast Frozen has taken off, only two years have passed. And fans have an animated short, Frozen Fever, to get excited over. That was quite possibily and intentionally developed for presentation as part of the Cinderella movie-going experience. Sorry, as much as I enjoy the animated classic, to include this mini-movie along with another film is not enough to convince me back to a theatre just to hear another potentially ‘award-winning’ song. I’ll wait for the video release.
Plus, I suspect that the company is waiting for the next quarterly report of earnings from sales of videos before deciding if comissioning another story is a go. Usually, the producers do not wait to find a story, but hope they will be paid to spend the time to brainstorm the right tale that’s fitting to continue the exploits of Hiro and crew.
James’ Take:
I should note that Ed has graciously covered many of the finer points of the first film that can be carried over to a sequel. But I find that there’s a couple of other items to note that demands examination:
- Callaghan’s daughter is hardly registered in this film. Are we to assume she spent all that time in an unknown dimension without any ill effects? She may have been safe in her capsule in a deep sleep but there is a chance she has suffered prolonged exposure to unknown elements. It may have awoken new powers within. Will she use these powers for good or take revenge on industrialist Krei and Big Hero 6 for the incarceration of her father, or will she follow in her father’s footsteps?
- Supervillians may be the norm to pit against our intrepid 6 but almost every story still needs those interesting characters from the criminal underworld. Let’s not forget about all the illegal gambling and robot fighting that went on at the start of the film. There wasn’t supervillains involved.
One of those non-super powered villains, Yama, built a prize fighting robot. I don’t see why he can’t build a larger one if the resources are available to him. But alas our small time crook stayed small time and took a back seat to the genius that was Callaghan. Maybe we will get to see Yama come into his own in the Big Hero second outing.
To deny us, the fans, the opportunity of a sequel would be a crime indeed. The box office was lucridive. Disney needs to take that cue and strike while the iron is hot. Don’t wait almost a year to announce a sequel like they for Frozen.
Please, Disney, the anticipation is killing me.